


Happy New Year

by JoMouse



Series: New Year [1]
Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vacation, Boys Kissing, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Minor Character Death, Past Character Death, Strangers to Friends, Vacation AU, drunk driving (mentioned), really not as dark as it sounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-10 01:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5564128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam is left to celebrate New Year's alone on the Isle of Wight until he meets another lonely soul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy New Year

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to do this, but, well, how could I not?
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this and have a Happy New Year.
> 
> And, as always: Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.

Liam sighed as he finished checking his voicemail for the second time, listening to the well wishes of his friends for a prosperous New Year, wishes he should have been getting in person. The calls had started earlier in the week and, one by one, his friends called to say they wouldn’t be able to make it to the Isle of Wight, as planned, for the New Year. Louis had called first, saying that Harry needed Louis to stay with him and Liam had nodded to himself, understanding - if he had someone in his life, he would want to spend the new year alone with them as well. Then Niall called and sounded horrible; he’d come down with the flu and just couldn’t imagine getting on a plane and Liam had called him back, telling him to keep his germs in Ireland where they belonged.

Next on the list was Julian. He wasn’t surprised by that call. Julian had to work. That man was always working. Liam envied him a bit, but then again, at least Liam wasn’t working for the holidays. Andy was the last to call. He’d called just the day before and left one of his stream of consciousness messages and it had taken Liam five times of listening to him to realize he was saying that he wasn’t coming; no reasons, no excuses, just he was not coming. Liam had shrugged it off, until he realized it meant he would be ringing in the New Year completely alone.

He checked his watch and realized he had an entire night of nothing to do ahead of him…in fact, he had several days of nothing to do since he’s decided to put the writing on hold for the holidays and had left his laptop at home. Now that his friends weren’t flying in, he really was at a loss; he debated going to the shops to buy a pad of paper and a pen and going old school. The house he’d rented in anticipation of being filled with his favourite people was echoing around him. He was beginning to regret turning down George’s invitation to spend the holidays with his family, but, of course, he’d had plans when his publisher had extended the invitation.

Picking up the remote, Liam flipped channels on the television without really looking at it, just letting the noise wash over him as he leaned his head on the back of the sofa, staring at the ceiling. He realized he was in bad shape when he started counting spots, that didn’t actually exist, on the stark white ceiling. He shook his head and rose to his feet before heading into the kitchen. His eyes fell on the refrigerator and he figured he might as well eat. His eyes went over all of the party foods he had picked up, but now found unappealing. He thought about heading into a pub and grabbing something quick to eat, but realized that he was feeling sorry enough for himself that he didn’t want to be around a bunch of strangers right now. He let out a defeated sigh, slamming the refrigerator shut and decided that maybe a walk on the beach would help his mood.

He grabbed his coat from the chair he’d thrown it on earlier and shrugged into it, reaching into his pockets for the gloves that he’d stashed there the year before. As he pulled them out, something fluttered to the ground. He glanced down at the crushed paper and knew without looking what it was: the ‘Dear Liam’ letter he’d received from Sophia the previous Christmas. He didn’t have to look to remember what it said, every word etched into his brain. He swallowed the lump that was growing in his throat and blinked his eyes rapidly before stomping a foot down on it and grinding it into the carpet a bit. He was over this. He was better than this.

The beach was surprisingly quiet. He had figured there would be people celebrating out here, but as he looked towards the houses, he saw that everyone was safely inside as the light from the windows cast long shadows on the beach. Liam made a game of jumping from shadow to shadow and laughing to himself, feeling like a child and an idiot, but feeling lighter than he had when he’d left the house. He didn’t know how long he’d been walking when he came across another lonely soul sitting on the sand staring out to sea. He walked up and sat down next to him, not speaking. He had no idea why he did that, it just felt right somehow.

“Hello,” the stranger said, turning to look at him and Liam smiled. His face was half in shadows, but Liam somehow knew the eyes were dark, similar to his own. The man’s hair seemed a bright white on the ends, darker towards the scalp, falling slightly over his forehead, tousled as a bitter breeze blew in from the water. 

“Hi,” Liam answered and they both looked back out over the water in companionable silence. 

Liam had no idea how long they sat there before his mysterious companion rose to his feet and started walking away along the water. Liam watched for a moment before the stranger stopped. He didn’t turn to look at Liam, but he got the impression the other was waiting for him to follow. Liam rose to his feet, brushing the sand off his bum and jogged to catch up to him. Once they were next to each other, Liam took his hand and got a soft smile and a gentle squeeze in response before they started to walk again.

Liam didn’t say anything for awhile, but finally couldn’t keep his mouth from breaking the silence that fell around them. “Where are we going?” His only answer was the ghost of a smile. “Seriously, where are we going?”

“Does it matter?” the other finally answered without looking at him and he shrugged in response. “Do you have somewhere to be tonight?” 

“No. My plans all fell through. I was supposed to have friends fly in and they all bloody bailed on me.” He heard a giggle. “What?”

The stranger blushed slightly. “Sorry. You are so worked up over something you have no control over. It’s so…” he trailed off.

“Stupid?” Liam snapped, immediately feeling remorse when he saw hurt cross his face. “Sorry.”

He shook his head and the secretive smile returned. “No. It’s alright. I’m sure it seemed like the logical next word. I was thinking it was more...futile.”

Liam stopped, gaping. “Futile? How so?”

He stopped walking and turned to look at Liam, ignoring Liam’s question and asking one instead. “Do you want to come in?” Liam was confused until he spotted the small beach house over his shoulder.

Liam studied his face for a moment and for the first time realized he could be putting himself in danger. He had no idea who this person was or why he was by himself on the beach at night. There was something about him though that Liam couldn’t walk away from, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. Liam finally nodded and they walked towards the house.

Once inside, they took their coats off and hung them on a rack next to the door. Liam watched the man and realized his eyes were hazel and the soft light in the house caused them to glow, but his hair wasn't white, but silver. Liam studied his face, looking for signs of age, but found none. The man seemed to be around Liam’s age and he wondered if the hair was premature or a deliberate choice. Liam followed him through the small sitting room into the kitchen. “Do you want some champagne?” he asked. “It only seems fitting.”

Liam smiled. Out of the moonlight, he’d lost the ethereal quality Liam had seen on the beach and became just incredibly attractive. “Are you trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?” he asked, a teasing quality in his voice.

“Would I need to get you drunk to do that?” he responded, standing and facing Liam, the bottle in his hand. He placed it in a bucket on the island.

Liam laughed at his cheekiness, the first honest laugh he’d given all day, possibly all year. “No. Probably not,” he said honestly and was rewarded with a full-bodied laugh. “You are so different.”

“Different from what?” he asked as he stretched to pull down two flutes from a cupboard above the stove.

“From how you were out there,” Liam said, pointing towards the sliding glass door that led to the beach as he watched the other fill the bucket with ice from the freezer.

The stranger laughed again and Liam was about to ask his name, but was stopped when the other man spoke. “The beach demands some kind of reverence, don’t you think?” He walked back towards the living room, carrying the bucket in one hand and the flutes in the other.

Liam followed, shoving his empty hands in his pockets, feeling slightly awkward. “I know what you mean.” He’d felt it as he’d sat on the beach, the calm of the waves crashing had filled him with a gentle peace he hadn’t realized he’d been missing. He’d always loved the sound, it was part of the reason he loved surfing with Louis, but that night in the moonlight it had been even more powerful. 

The man sat on one end of the couch, curling his bare feet up underneath himself. Liam mirrored his pose on the other end of the couch and took the flute offered to him. He started to struggle to open the bottle and Liam covered his hand with his own. “Let me,” he said and the man gladly handed over the bottle.

After a bit of struggle, the cork popped and, luckily, Liam caught most of the overflow from the bottle with his flute, only spilling a bit on the carpet. “I’m sorry about that.”

“You spilled. It’s not the end of the world. I would’ve gotten more on the carpet than in the glass, so I’m not complaining.”

“So, do we turn on the countdown?” Liam asked, a raised eyebrow his only response. “What?” The man, no longer a stranger, but still nameless, gestured around the room and Liam took in his surroundings. The couch they were sitting on was well worn-in with a soft brown leather covering. The mantle over the fireplace, which currently housed a dying fire, held a clock and some pictures that he rose to look at. The man was in each picture with a variety of people. It was when he turned to ask about them that he realized what he was missing. “You don’t have a telly?”

“No. I prefer the company of books when I’m here.” Liam smiled at him, glancing at the shelves and only flinching slightly when he saw his own name on a couple of the spines, wondering if this was some kind of Stephen King’s  _ Misery _ come to life; if he would find himself tied to a bed in the morning, and not for a fun reason. “Why don’t you throw another log on the fire? I just love the sound and smell of a fire.”

Liam nodded and put the log on, stoking the fire up a bit. “So, what were you doing on the beach?” he asked finally, his curiosity getting the best of him, smacking himself for not asking for his name first.

“Wishing on a star,” the man responded. Liam huffed out a small laugh as he returned to the couch, sitting a bit closer to center and picking up his glass.

“For what?” he asked. “Oh wait, don’t tell me or it won’t come true.”

“It already did,” the man told him. “I wished I wouldn’t have to spend New Year’s alone.” His face grew so sad that Liam set his glass down again before reaching out and taking the man’s hand, almost without thinking about it. He squeezed Liam’s hand and shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t mean to cock up a pleasant evening.”

“What’s the matter?” Liam asked, but only got a head shake in response. “It’s alright. You don’t have to talk about it, but if you want to, well who better than a complete stranger, right?”

The man laughed at that. “I think  _ you _ are the one who is different,” he finally said.

Liam nodded. “Just don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.” He smiled broadly and the return smile was grateful. Whatever was bothering him, Liam knew he wasn’t likely to hear about it and that was fine with him.

The man stood and walked over to the mantle, checking the clock. “It’s five minutes to midnight,” Liam was surprised that the evening had passed quickly; they must have sat longer on the beach than he’d realized. “Any resolutions?” he asked, turning back to Liam and bringing the clock over to set on the coffee table so they could watch for midnight to strike.

Liam thought to himself for a moment. He was pretty happy with his life at the moment. He had a job that he loved, friends who were crazy about him - even if they weren’t always reliable, and a family that loved him. He missed being in a relationship sometimes, but he wasn’t unhappy being single, just sometimes lonely. He leaned his head back on the couch and stared at the ceiling for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I resolve to not let life pass me by. Not get caught up in the little things and make sure that the people I care about know it.” He shook his head and looked at the other man, who was watching Liam intently. “It’s not much of a resolution. I try to do that anyway.”

“Just reaffirming the positive,” the man said. Liam raised his eyebrows at him and he smiled. “Me? I guess I resolve to stop living in the past and get on with my life.” He grew quiet again and Liam slid closer on the couch, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Liam wasn’t completely surprised when the man began to cry. “I’m sorry,” he said as the tears began to fall.

Liam shook his head and rubbed his arm, making soothing sounds. As selfish as it sounded, it was nice to be able to be there for someone tonight, to focus on someone else rather than just feeling sorry for himself. “Whatever’s wrong, it might help to talk about it,” he whispered as the clock caught his eye. “You have two minutes to hold onto the past before you start working on your resolution.”

The man lifted his head, his glassy eyes met Liam’s and the man gave a small smile before nodding. He pulled away and leaned against the arm of the couch again. “I hate New Years,” he told Liam. “I used to love it. My husband,” the man paused, but Liam just nodded for him to continue. “My husband and I would go out to huge parties with our friends and drink the night away. Rather, I would drink the night away. He never drank, he didn’t like the taste of it, although he always said he stayed sober so that I would always have a safe ride home.” The man sniffled, rubbing his thumb over one eye as he stood and brought a picture back to Liam of himself and another man standing outside the beach house. 

“We spent every New Year’s here with his family and friends. It was so much fun. I loved it.” The man’s eyes got a faraway look in them as he continued. “Last year was no different than any other year until we left the party and were driving home. We were stopped at a red light and when the light changed, he started to pull through-” the words choked off and the tears started again. He didn’t even need to finish the sentence; Liam understood.

Liam wrapped his arms around the crying man, pulling him into his lap, rubbing his back gently. “It’s okay. You don’t have to continue. I understand.”

“It’s not fair,” the man moaned into Liam’s shoulder. “He never drank so I’d be safe and then some other idiot…”

“Shhh…” Liam glanced at the clock again. “Not to be heartless, but 10…”

The man sat up and looked at the clock, wiping the tears from his cheeks. “9…”

Liam smiled softly. “8…”

He returned Liam’s smile and took a deep breath. “7…”

Liam brushed the man’s hair off his forehead. “6…my name’s Liam, by the way.”

“5…Zayn.”

They laughed. “4….are you ready to let go?”

Zayn nodded. “3…are you ready to live life?”

Liam smiled. “2…”

They laughed and said together “1” before leaning in to touch their lips together softly. 

As the kiss paused, but didn’t break, Liam whispered, “Happy New Year.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please, I cannot emphasize this enough, if you are going to be drinking this New Year's Eve (or any time), drink responsibly and have a designated driver. You are all far too precious to lose to something so stupid. I will not apologize for this PSA; I grew up without a grandmother because of a drunk driver, so this is very important to me. 
> 
> Millions of thanks to [Jess](http://archiveofourown.org/users/purpleeyestelllies) for being my beta, cheerleader and bestie through this because it really would not be posted if not for her.
> 
> Please leave kudos, comments or come talk to me on [Twitter (JolynnMG)](http://www.twitter.com/JolynnMG) or [tumblr (josjournal)](http://josjournal.tumblr.com/). You really don't understand how wonderful each of these small things mean to me. I love knowing that people like what I've written and I love meeting new people even more.
> 
> Have a Happy New Year. Much love! xx-Joey


End file.
